FBI Director James Comey has confirmed that the agency is not only investigating Russia’s interference in the 2016 presidential election but is also taking a long hard look at whether Donald Trump and his campaign colluded with the foreign power.

In his opening statement, Comey said that the FBI doesn’t usually “confirm the existence of ongoing investigations,” However, if there are “unusual circumstances where it is in the public interest,” that can change. The bureau may, at these times, find it necessary to break with this policy, Comey explained.

“This is one of those circumstances,” he said.

“I have been authorized by the Department of Justice to confirm that the FBI, as part of our counterintelligence mission, is investigating the Russian government’s efforts to interfere in the 2016 presidential election. And that includes investigating the nature of any links between individuals associated with the Trump campaign and the Russian government and whether there was any coordination between the campaign and Russia’s efforts,” Comey said.

He added that the investigation would “also include an assessment of whether any crimes were committed.”

The most concerning part of Comey’s statement came when he said that the investigation was initiated in July of 2016. July. Think about that. Somehow, even though the FBI was investigating Russia’s interference in the election on Trump’s behalf and whether or not Trump was actually working with Russia, we still ended up with this man sitting in the White House. Let that sink in for a minute.

Author: April HamlinApril has studied political science, psychology, and philosophy. Back in the good old days she was a reporter for “old fashioned” print newspapers. In addition to news and politics, she also blogs about service dogs and disability advocacy. As a black woman with a disability, she is fed up with the right-wingers who would prefer that she and others like her didn’t exist.